Ellice Littlejohn is the novel’s protagonist. She is a dynamic and round character who creates a corporate façade of perfection to hide the secrets of her past. She is the only Black person in Houghton’s legal department and becomes the only Black executive she’s promoted. Ellice has been having an affair with her boss and is concerned that if anyone finds out, her promotion will be questioned.

Ellice moved from rural Chillicothe to a private school in Virginia, where she code switches and assimilates so white people will perceive her as “good.” Ellice sacrifices her relationship with her brother to ensure that she can support him because of her high-paying job as a lawyer. She wants to protect him because she feels responsible for his problems, as she left him in Chillicothe to pursue her education and career. Ellice’s inability to face her secrets prevents her from developing a close relationship with Sam in their adulthood, adding to her guilt.

As Ellice allows the secrets from her past to hinder her present relationships, she also struggles with her sense of ethics and morality. Ellice knows from experience that justice rarely comes to people with privilege and power, such as Willie Jay, Jonathan, or Hardy.